My favorite of the bunch (at least until I find a better one :D) is, of course, Shu Uemura’s Depsea Water ($24 for 150mL). I won’t bore you with the details since I already raved on and on about their facial mist here, but suffice it to say that it’s a great toner and mid-day refresher. While I’m not 100% sold on all of its purportedly miraculous properties, it does calm my skin while lightly moisturizing it, and the fact that it comes in a plethora of yummy scents only makes it that much more appealing. And how cool is it that these mists are pumped from ocean depths of 200 meters and bottled at the source?

A very close second is Eau Thermale Avene’s Thermal Spring Water ($11 for 5.29oz). As the name indicates, this product is spring (rather than ocean) water, and again it’s bottled at the source. A favorite drugstore product in both the US and Europe (I get mine at Apthrop Pharmacy but I’ve seen it at CVS recently), it’s been clinically proven to soothe/calm irritated skin thanks to its unique composition (see here for more details), and like the Shu makes a great toner and facial refresher.

How is it different from the Shu? It’s spring not sea water, low in minerals (better for super-sensitive complexions), unscented, has a great misting nozzle, and best of all is less than half the price of Shu’s Depsea Waters. My only real complaint with the Shu (well other than the price) is that it doesn’t provide a fine mist since it’s packaged with a conventional spray nozzle, but Eau Thermale Avene has remedied that issue with a spray-mechanism that provides a light mist.

And as for my least favorite facial mist-that would be MAC Fix+ (at $16 for 100mL it’s cheaper than the Shu Uemura but more expensive than the Eau Thermale Avene). I know so many of my lovely readers love Fix+ but I just can’t get it to work for me. I’ve tried it so many different ways (I’ve even used it mixed with pigment) so many different times but to no avail. As a pre-makeup spritzer it makes me really oily, and as a post-foundation skin finisher (the way many MAC MA’s use it) it creates a MASSIVE oil slick. I’m talking fry-an-egg greasy here! Absolutely gross. And on top of that, Fix+ irritates my skin to no end. It causes minor break-outs and hives, and despite the fact that it’s supposed to be hydrating, my face feels ridiculously tight and itchy post-application. In a last ditch attempt to use this product I’ve tried spritzing it on an eyeshadow brush to help my eyeshadows adhere better, but a combo of MAC Paint Pots plus shadow works better for me so it’s just an all-around no-go for me.

I know there are a multitude of other facial mists out there (La Mer, Amore Pacific, the list goes on and on)-what’s your favorite and why?

Related Posts:

Interested in further info on Shu Uemura’s Depsea Water Facial Mists? Click here for a review.

Have I piqued your interest in Eau Thermale Avene’s Thermal Spring Water? Check out some more great (and not so great) drugstore products below:

While I’ve never been all that into drugstore brands, I was seriously impressed by Revlon’s limited edition blushes. Check out my reviews here (A Golden Affair blush) and here (A Floral Affair).

Did you have the opportunity to play with Carmindy’s collection for Sally Hansen? See my reviews and photos/swatches of the line here and here.

From Nordstrom: “Unique Depsea water contains over 60 minerals to help enhance skin’s moisture balance. Skin is hydrated and enhanced, free from arepsicial color and lightly scented with natural extracts.” ($24)

Shu Uemura’s DepSea Water is pumped from ocean depths of 200 meters, where sunlight doesn’t reach, and bottled at the source, where the Shu Uemura manufacturing facility is located. These deep sea waters are rich in minerals and are known for their skin-soothing properties (supposedly the water even soothes eczema!).

That all sounds pretty cool to me, no?

The deep sea waters are then scented with natural aromatic extracts, resulting in the myriad of yummy scented Depsea Waters that we purchase from department stores (and of course it comes unscented as well).

I initially purchased this for my mother as a hydrating mid-day skin refresher, because I would never have spent $24 on what’s essentially a spray bottle of water for myself. But having officially stolen it from her, I’m in love!!

I have this in the Yuzu scent, which although decent isn’t my favorite (it was LE anyway so not like I’ll be getting it again), but it’s been amazingly gentle and hydrating for my complexion. Although I have oily skin, some foundations tend to try it out (especially in the winter), making my skin unbearably tight and itchy. Products like MAC’s Fix+ only make me greasy and oily (I’ll be doing a comparison review later), whereas Shu Uemura’s Depsea soothes any skin irritation and basically calms my skin, returning it to its normal hydrated state.

I’ve also started using this straight out of the shower, and my skin’s really loving it. Basically I shower, stick my hair in a towel, spritz this stuff on, do the rest of my stuff and then apply my moisturizer after it’s had a chance to absorb.

I also love to stick my Depsea Water in the refrigerator for a refreshingly cool mist of moisture on a super-hot day.

One thing I do wish were different is the spray nozzle. I’d much prefer a finer mist, but oh well.

Yes $24 for a 5 oz. bottle of water may seem a little pricey, but unlike many other “water” sprays I’ve tried this one actually makes a difference with my complexion, plus it’s going to last me forever.